Pest Woman Loses

Today didn't go especially well. First of all, I discovered when I deposited my paycheck in the bank this morning that, even with a good paycheck, I still didn't have enough to cover my rent. It's way overdue. I've been taking money out of my savings to pay for my rent the last two months!

The farm market run went a bit better. Thanks to today's much-talked about 100 degree heat, it was still busy, but not quite as much as usual. Blackberries, tomatoes, string beans, and red potatoes made their debut this week. The blackberries and two tomatoes came home with me, along with peaches, a quart of very pretty speckled beans, two cucumbers and fresh thyme from the organic booth, cherries, and a beautiful purple and green heirloom tomato.

Thanks to the heat and the extended holiday week, I saw no yard sales anywhere today. I stopped briefly at Doria's Deli for a soda and to say "hi" to Mr. Doria, then headed home. I unloaded my purchases, then finished out the Three Stooges set.

By the time the Stooges did the last shorts in this set in 1951, television was starting to catch up with them. Even with cost-cutting and more stock footage used, some of Shemp's best shorts could be found here. "Merry Mavericks" is a fun remake of the 1943 Curly "Phony Express." "Scrambled Brains" has Shemp hallucinating everything from two more arms that allow him to play the piano to a beautiful fiancee who is cute only to him. "Pest Man Wins" is a not-bad remake of another Curly short, this time "Ants In the Pantry." "Hu-La-La" spoofs south seas epics. And I really felt bad for the boys in "Don't Throw That Knife," where a hot-headed husband thinks three census-takers are after his wife. Here, they really were "victims of coicumstance" - they were just doing their jobs.

I made a quick run to the Oaklyn Library around 12:30 for this week's volunteer session there. They, too, were quiet. It wasn't even busy at the Oaklyn Swim Club pool; the families who usually congregate there may have been at lunch. I did some brief organizing on the DVDs, then put children's books away. Bought two more items from their book sales, the EL Doctorow novel The Waterworks and another serial, Federal Agents Vs. Underworld Inc, a wartime actioner that looks like it has just enough plot to be fun. 

I spent most of a very hot afternoon hanging around inside, doing things online and with my inventories. It wasn't until almost 5PM that I got bored and decided to ride over to Dad and Uncle Ken's for a relaxing dip in the pool. I'm glad I did. Khai, Rose, and Craig were already there when I arrived, and apparently had been there for over two hours. Khai loves the pool! He has no fear of the water whatsoever. It was hard to get him out, and I couldn't blame him. The water was in the upper 80s today. I only left because I didn't trust the clouds on the horizon.

When I got home, I made cornmeal-crusted chicken, sauteed zucchini and tomatoes, and cucumber-tomato salad for dinner while watching Meatballs, one of my official summer movies. Meatballs is the first of an unrelated series of films about life in various summer camps. Bill Murray had one of his first major roles as the wisecracking, sex-crazed head counselor in the original.

The Acme called earlier in the afternoon. For once, I agreed to go in tomorrow of my own free will. First of all, they asked nicely and ahead of time. Second, it's only 3:30 to 7:30, which is pretty normal hours for me on a Sunday anyway. Third, it was a legitimate request. One of the college boys not only has a sick note from his doctor, but his grandmother just died. That, I can fully understand calling out for.

And I hated doing it, but I ended up borrowing money from Dad. I feel so guilty. Rose, Lauren, and Jodie all said it was ok, everyone goes through bad periods...but I still feel like I should be providing for myself.